Long-trousered ridge tour on the Muzsla range

Itinerary

• From Mátrakeresztes follow the P+ mark to the waterfalls!
• The Lower Waterfall can be found on a path going right and downward through a young forest.
• For the Upper Waterfall, after crossing a stream, the P▲ mark guides you.
• Continue the route on the P+ mark, then when it joins the P trail, continue on it!
• At the second branch of the P and Z+ trails, take an unmarked path to the right to visit the Gortva-Jójárt lookout.
• The P marked hiking trail leads along the Muzsla ridge.
• The P trail leads to Szurdokpüspöki, then following the Z marks branching right from there you can reach the train station.

Detailed description of the route

Mátrakeresztes - Upper Waterfall

In the center of Mátrakeresztes, from the spacious parking lot, cross the bridge over the stream leading into the garden of the Óvár restaurant. Turn immediately right and follow the stream’s edge into the forest. At the upper branch of a wide forestry road, turn right to take the P+ mark to visit two (usually dry) waterfalls on the western side of the Mátra. Soon the forestry road sharply turns left, with a sparse young forest joining from the right. After only a few meters, you can spot an unmarked path going right between the trees; descending on this leads to an interesting rocky ledge, where in summer usually just a trickle of water flows (this is the Lower Waterfall). The ledge is an old cooled lava flow. Water eroded the softer, fragmented rocks under a thick arch, creating a small overhang on the cliff face. If for no other reason, it’s worth descending into this pit-like hollow for the cold climate. Above on the right, you can also visit the volcanic cave of Vidróczki (this was a gas bubble in the lava).

Continuing on the trail, soon we approach an incline where, turning right, we cross a dry streambed. There is no sign, but you can spot a barely visible P▲ mark on a tree on the left. This leads us along a narrow, canyon-like stream to the Upper Waterfall. Today, only a bleak but undoubtedly impressive andesite wall reminds of the waterfall; there is rarely any water. On the left, at the base of a brecciated rock, we find a small tunnel (Lyukas-kő), which was formed by the formerly flowing stream.

Upper Waterfall - Nyikom

Returning to the P+ trail, we soon cross a scree slope, whose small andesite fragments rattle underfoot. Turning back on a clearing, we see the side heights of the Galya-tető massif and the valley of the Csörgő stream leading towards Ágasvár. We climb steeply and reach a slowly overgrowing, marshy clearing (Forester's meadow). From its western end, the buildings of Galya-tető appear, while looking forward to the right we follow the eastern ridge of the Cserhát and the Tepke range. Ahead rises the forested side of Nyikom and the neighboring Vörös-kő-bérc.

We enter a beautiful beech forest, then again climb onto a lovely old pine forest. On the clay soil, small puddles worthy of being called ponds have formed. The trail arrives at the saddle between Vörös-kő-bérc and Nyikom, where we follow the P marks to the right. To the left, above a forest clearing, there is a view of the narrow valley of the Zám stream; in the background stands the 599-meter pyramid of Havas. We enter a dense young forest and soon reach a wet meadow clearing, the Nyikom saddle (701 m). To the right behind tall grass, we can spot a wooden sign pointing to the Gortva-Jójárt lookout. Behind it begins the rocky path leading to the 764 m summit. It’s worth taking on the sweaty, very tiring ascent, because at the top one of the Mátra’s most exciting sights and one of the rare viewpoints on the Muzsla ridge awaits us.

At the top stands a 4-story andesite tower, with its name marked on lighter building stones on the side; it has a cross on top, shelter from rain at the base, and a huge pile of firewood. The lookout’s door is open to anyone; we can stay overnight inside, and from the top floor enjoy a 360-degree panorama (the windows unfortunately cannot be opened for building protection). The view differs in each of the four directions: to the south the Zám stream valley and Muzsla are visible; to the southwest and west appear the hills of the Cserhát, and in clear weather behind them wave the Börzsöny, Visegrád Mountains, and even the Buda Hills. To the north, the pointed cone of Ágasvár rises above the Zagyva valley. This landscape is dominated by the flat tops of the Mátra: Galya-tető and, further back, Kékes representing the country’s highest point.

Nyikom - Muzsla

From the Nyikom saddle follows the more relaxing part of the hike. We walk an interesting path entering an apparently untouched, mixed-age beautiful beech forest. The forest was cut and clear-cut at one point. From its edge, again we can scan the highest points of the Mátra—and it’s worth looking around as a long, closed forest section awaits us. Our path rolls gently for a while, finally reaching the saddle below Muzsla (trail signs). A few steps to the right, and from the edge of the clearing we see the villages of the Zagyva valley and the Tepke ridge rising above them. From the saddle, a short but tiring ascent on a rocky and root-exposed path leads to the 805 m summit of Muzsla. As is usual in Mátra, it is really just a roof, not a peak—no view, just a sign and a bulky concrete block. (Interestingly, a few meters south of the marked summit point is a small rock outcrop that looks higher from every direction.)

The path from the saddle to Muzsla is at least through a beautifully gnarled and winding forest evocative of childhood fairy tales. But from here, not much good awaits us in the next 45 minutes: no view, but the continuous undulation with relatively mild swings makes the trail recommended for those with long trousers or bold rheumatics. Otherwise (at least in summer) prepare for a record amount of unpleasant nettle stings: this annoying plant has unfortunately swallowed the path. All this is a consequence of human intervention: if natural forest covered the ridge here, a completely different (much more beautiful) picture would dominate the view.

Muzsla - Szurdokpüspöki

After a long, rocky path descent, we reach a small saddle; according to the sign here, we have left the Nagy-Koncsúr and its "little brother" follows, but don’t believe this wrong information! At the top of the short right-turn ascent, we reach the 640 m Nagy-Koncsúr, the only grassy-topped viewpoint on the ridge trail. The view is characteristically Mátra: no extensive mountain ranges or deep valleys are seen, the forest area gradually lowers blending into the Great Hungarian Plain (with Gyöngyöspata stretched on its edge). On the far side stand the Káva and Tót hills, on the left in the background we spot Galya-tető, but the flatter landscape dominates the panorama. From the Nagy-Koncsúr summit, above the bushes, we can spot Pásztó, behind it repeatedly the forested ridge of Tepke, and to the north the Karancs group.

Entering the forest, we begin a long descent. Soon we reach Kis-Koncsúr, from its grassy side we already notice Szurdokpüspöki, and above Jobbágyi stand the mountains guarding, the southernmost heights of the Mátra. The path winds down on grassy terrain, with Szurdokpüspöki continually before us, the distance and elevation difference decreasing. Soon we reach a rocky section, enter the forest again, and crossing a stream bed, return to a forest path. Here, turning right, we begin the last part of the hike: the road winds through vineyards and agricultural plots above Szurdokpüspöki to the wine cellar row. Following the P marks, we walk through the tidy but not very scenic village, and finally trusting the Z marks, arrive at the neglected railway stop on the edge of the settlement.